The Talent Exchange is a community using a range of non-monetary exchange methods to exchange what they can provide and do for each other. As such, it embraces trust, honesty, respect, care, personal responsibility, mutual aid and a cooperative spirit. As we know, this is the opposite of what is common in the regular money economy: lack of trust, dishonesty, disrespect, neglect, rule-bound actions, self-interest and a self-serving spirit.

The way that we relate to each other in exchange influences how we relate to each other in our social relationships. If we bring across to the Talent Exchange the bad habits we learn from the money economy, the Talent community will be reduced to a mere reflection of the unfriendly “Rand community”.

In order to prevent a “leakage” of sentiments from the one community to the other, we have compiled a set of pointers that encourage a more respectful attitude towards our fellow Talent exchangers. These are not “rules” but just a set of responses and behaviours that encourage us to respect and trust our fellow exchangers.

Below is a list of behaviours that we call “Talent Exchange etiquette”. It is not a comprehensive list, so if you can think of others, please let us know and we will post them on the CTTE website.

Seller etiquette

  1. When someone emails or messages you about your offering(s), show respect by responding promptly and politely
  2. If you have already sold what you have advertised, be polite and inform enquirers that the item has been sold; don’t just ignore enquiries
  3. As soon as you have sold what you have advertised, remove your offering so that others do not waste their time enquiring about what is no longer available
  4. Don’t demand Rands when you have advertised in Talents (which is the same way as saying that the Talent Exchange is not a platform for advertising your Rand offerings, or for enticing users of the TE to use your “paid” services)
  5. If you are charging part-Rands, the Rand portion may not be larger than the Talent portion
  6. If a buyer is not satisfied with goods you have provided, take the goods back and give the buyer a “refund” by deleting the transaction
  7. If a recipient of your services is not satisfied with what you have provided, discuss it amicably and offer a refund or discount
  8. Enter details of your sales promptly. You have three months to enter your trades. If you enter them after three months the buyer can reject the debit and request that it be deleted, or enter a counter-trade

Buyer etiquette

  1. When you agree on a time and place to collect goods, be there and be there on time. Don’t keep sellers waiting; they might have given up time to be there at the agreed time
  2. If you can’t make it to collect goods, contact the seller and offer an apology. Make another time to collect the goods
  3. If you have made an appointment to receive some service but can’t make it in time, don’t just ignore the appointment and leave the provider wondering if you are coming. Offer an apology in good time
  4. If you forget an appointment, contact the provider afterwards and offer an apology. The provider has the right to debit your account if you do not turn up and do not apologise
  5. Sellers sometimes simply forget to enter their sales. Don’t “deliberately ignore” the fact that you have not been debited for what you have received. The honest thing is to remind the seller or simply “pay” the seller by entering the transaction yourself, “as buyer”
  6. If you are not satisfied with goods you have received, do not report it to the administrator. Confront the seller and ask for a “refund” by returning the goods. The seller can delete the transaction
  7. If you are not satisfied with a service you have received, do not report it to the administrator. Discuss it with the provider and try to resolve the matter amicably